Mindfulness is a way of focussing awareness on the present moment, not judging or striving but just ‘being’. Practising the principals of mindfulness can be therapeutic for people living with stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain and/or managing addictions. It provides a window of calm in a busy life, a restorative alternative to intrusive negative thinking or an over-active mind. Whilst mindfulness is not a way to explore how we may have become distressed, it is a way of checking in with our thoughts and feelings, accepting them - being receptive rather than reactive.

Learning simple and often brief, breathing meditation techniques can help to regulate feelings which may have felt overwhelming. Practised regularly and incorporated into daily life, it can help to maintain mental good health and prevent relapses of mental ill health. Mindfulness is not a religious practice but a way of thinking and being in the world.